Our Free Agency Grade according to ESPN

[El Chingon]

Carolina Panthers: D Grade
This was a disastrous offseason for the Panthers. They watched several offensive linemen retire, including Jordan Gross; lost a number of key free agents, thanks to a severe lack of cap space; and whiffed on all of the top free agent wide receivers.

The latter is a huge concern. With Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn gone, Carolina's top wideouts currently on the depth chart are Marvin McNutt, Tavarres King, Kealoha Pilares and that Nate kid from the Play 60 commercials. They missed on all of the affordable wideouts like Hakeem Nicks and James Jones, and now they'll be forced into choosing multiple receivers early in the 2014 NFL Draft (I have them going with receivers in Rounds 1 and 3 in my 2014 NFL Mock Draft.) With Cam Newton coming off surgery, he won't have much time this offseason to work with his new weapons.

Meanwhile, the one major player the Panthers signed was Roman Harper, who isn't very good. They didn't overpay for him, but he won't have much of an impact.

UPDATE: The Panthers signed Jerricho Cotchery for too much. That doesn't help their grade.

NFL Free Agent Grades:
Roman Harper, S, Saints - B-
Graham Gano, K, Panthers (re-sign) - C
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Steelers - C-

http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2014grades.php

[L-TownCat]

Lol what do you expect from espn?

I guess I walk around with my head in the clouds and rainbows shooting out of my ass still believing that maybe just maybe there is still a shred of journalistic integrity left in that soulless hot pocket of mainstream bile.

[CPcavedweller]

WE DONT VALUE A NUMBER 1 RECEIVER THE WAY THE COLTS OR FALCONS DO. Damn you all to hell. You guys wouldn't see a damn barn if you walked into it. Look at all of our additions this and last season. We value DEs highest, DTs next, offensive lineman are next. Then go the linebackers, secondary etc. wide receiver is damn near the bottom. We need guys who can catch, that is all. You don't pay $35 million to someone who can just catch. You get 5th and 6th round draft picks. Or UDFA( see Victor Cruz)

[top dawg]

The draft grade is the one that we should be worrying about. We already knew that. It's even more important now that Gross and Smitty are gone.

 

 

 

[Gin and Juice]

You're the only one that seems confused on what garunteed money entails.. If hardy signs a long term deal he will earn less in 2014 than currently projected

Ok, right now the most Hardy makes is 13ish mil, right? We agree? Now, if he gets hurt in Game 3 and the injury ends his career then all he gets is 13mil, right?

Now, before going forward, do we agree that signing bonus is guaranteed? It is! Meaning, no matter what happens, he gets that money!

Ok, Gman is sitting at his desk holding a contract for:

5yr/60mil-28mil signing bonus

Contract roughly resembles the following:

2014 base salary-3mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (10mil cap hit)

2015 base salary-5mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (12mil cap hit)

2016 base salary-7mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (14mil cap hit)

2017 base salary-9mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (16mil cap hit)

2018 base salary-8mil. (Cap hit 8mil)

Now, this is a very elementary description of "possible" contract but good enough to illustrate point.

Under tag-Hardy gets hurt then he gets 13 mil and have a nice life! Hope he can sign with another team if healed but it will be one year prove it deal.

Under contract-Hardy gets hurt that same game 3 then worst case he gets the 28mil, plus the 3 mil base of year one.....totaling 31mil. Most likely he gets out on IR and will be there to gain year 2 base of 5mil....now 36mil!

Do we agree 36mil>>>>>>>13mil?

Now we know why players hate being tagged! Hardy will play it off as he is cool playing under the tag to punk Getts into thinking he is gonna pull a Pep. Big difference is, Pep got a HUGE rookie deal. He had money banked where Hardy has been on a 6th Rd pick contract. Getts knows that if he stands his ground then Hardy crumbles before the clock runs out, like a starving man having a Porterhouse waved beneath his nose.

[Jackofalltrades]

What's the likelihood of Hardy's career being "ruined" this year? What kind of injury would that require?

[Gin and Juice]

What's the likelihood of Hardy's career being "ruined" this year? What kind of injury would that require?

Define ruined? Season ending ACL tear, leaving all GMs reluctant to throw much money at all towards him in 2015 FA race. Missed opportunity and missed money!

[Jackofalltrades]

Define ruined? Season ending ACL tear, leaving all GMs reluctant to throw much money at all towards him in 2015 FA race. Missed opportunity and missed money!

That's my point, using the word "ruined" is misleading, sidetracked would be a far more realistic term, IMO.

If Hardy says he's cool playing under the tag then there's no real reason not to believe him. Given the advances in medicine and rehab I don't think the injury concern is nearly as daunting as it on e was.

[Gin and Juice]

That's my point, using the word "ruined" is misleading, sidetracked would be a far more realistic term, IMO.

If Hardy says he's cool playing under the tag then there's no real reason not to believe him. Given the advances in medicine and rehab I don't think the injury concern is nearly as daunting as it on e was.

Ok, let's used sidetracked.

For grins and giggles:

Hardy plays under the tag, gets hurt and misses 10-13 games. He has 13mil(realistically 8ish mil after taxes). He walks! Signs with the Jags for 2year/18mil-signing bonus of 8mil. Base year one was 5mil. He re-injures ACL. Gets cut.

Grand Total-26mil(still not higher than our hypothetical contract signing bonus)

He re-injures with us then he goes back to IR. Collects Year 3 7mil when we hold onto him because like JStew, it's too much dead money at stake, plus injury settlement etc. Puts him here making 43 mil.

Only an idiot that has no concept of money(or already rich) would play under the tag if there was a reasonable deal on the table from the home team

[Rise of The Hive]

They left out hardy in the signing list for the franchise tender. That's a key signing. Also yeah we need a clear wr1 but we had to take Luke and star. Had to.

 

Maybe we are going to trade him.

[Gucci Mane]

Ok, right now the most Hardy makes is 13ish mil, right? We agree? Now, if he gets hurt in Game 3 and the injury ends his career then all he gets is 13mil, right?

Now, before going forward, do we agree that signing bonus is guaranteed? It is! Meaning, no matter what happens, he gets that money!

Ok, Gman is sitting at his desk holding a contract for:

5yr/60mil-28mil signing bonus

Contract roughly resembles the following:

2014 base salary-3mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (10mil cap hit)

2015 base salary-5mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (12mil cap hit)

2016 base salary-7mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (14mil cap hit)

2017 base salary-9mil. Prorated Bonus-7mil (16mil cap hit)

2018 base salary-8mil. (Cap hit 8mil)

Now, this is a very elementary description of "possible" contract but good enough to illustrate point.

Under tag-Hardy gets hurt then he gets 13 mil and have a nice life! Hope he can sign with another team if healed but it will be one year prove it deal.

Under contract-Hardy gets hurt that same game 3 then worst case he gets the 28mil, plus the 3 mil base of year one.....totaling 31mil. Most likely he gets out on IR and will be there to gain year 2 base of 5mil....now 36mil!

Do we agree 36mil>>>>>>>13mil?

Now we know why players hate being tagged! Hardy will play it off as he is cool playing under the tag to punk Getts into thinking he is gonna pull a Pep. Big difference is, Pep got a HUGE rookie deal. He had money banked where Hardy has been on a 6th Rd pick contract. Getts knows that if he stands his ground then Hardy crumbles before the clock runs out, like a starving man having a Porterhouse waved beneath his nose.

 

i get all of that but you still are missing the point of the 36 million being spread out over the "life" of the contract. So basically for '14 all you really need to know is [in your example] $10 < $13. Its not like once he gets hurt in year one he just gets a lump sum check for $36 million.

 

[Floppin]

i get all of that but you still are missing the point of the 36 million being spread out over the "life" of the contract. So basically for '14 all you really need to know is [in your example] $10 < $13. Its not like once he gets hurt in year one he just gets a lump sum check for $36 million.

The signing bonus is spread out ONLY in regards to the cap hit. The players do, in fact, get one massive check for the entire signing bonus when they sign - hence why its called a signing bonus.

[Gucci Mane]

The signing bonus is spread out ONLY in regards to the cap hit. The players do, in fact, get one massive check for the entire signing bonus when they sign - hence why its called a signing bonus.

 

Yea were talking about guaranteed money outside of signing bonus, when you hear "$35 million, $15 guaranteed" the player didnt just get a $15 million signing bonus but probably somewhere around 8-9. Look at Schaubs:

 

Contract: 4 yr(s) / $62,000,000 Signing Bonus $17,500,000 Average Salary $15,500,000 Guaranteed: $29,150,000

[Floppin]

Yea were talking about guaranteed money outside of signing bonus, when you hear "$35 million, $15 guaranteed" the player didnt just get a $15 million signing bonus but probably somewhere around 8-9. Look at Schaubs:

Contract: 4 yr(s) / $62,000,000 Signing Bonus $17,500,000 Average Salary $15,500,000 Guaranteed: $29,150,000

Whatever their announced signing bonus is is the amount that they get up front always. The signing bonus does count towards guaranteed money however. So for instance if a player gets a 5 year 50 mill contract with a 25 million signing bonus and 30 million guaranteed. This means the total contract value is 75 million. The player gets 25 million up front as a signing bonus( though the cap hit is spread out over the life of the contract) and only 5 million of that 50 million over 5 years remains as guaranteed. This is why most contracts are back loaded and agreed upon by the players because they get so much up front and the later years are effectively voidable because they no longer hold guaranteed money.